SACRAMENTO  (AP) — Wildlife officials say the northern spotted owl has been listed under the California Endangered Species Act.

The state’s Fish and Game Commission voted unanimously on Friday to add the threatened bird to the list, ending a four-year process by the Environmental Protection Information Center, or EPIC.

EPIC Program Director Tom Wheeler called it a “small step toward recovery.”

Scientists say that owl numbers are now dropping at an annual rate of 3.8 percent. Five years ago, the rate was 2.8 percent.